DailyDirt: Curious Behavior

from the urls-we-dig-up dept

The brain is an incredibly mysterious organ that can create some really bizarre psychological effects. Seemingly minor alterations to brain chemistry have resulted in profound changes in human behavior. Here are just a few examples of some interesting (and thankfully rare!) psychological syndromes.

FES or FAS...

So do the ppl with FAS actually have real foreign accents -- or just made up accents that their brains think sound foreign? The woman who woke up after her teeth being pulled had never been to Europe, so it seems pretty impossible for her to have any kind of real British/Irish accent. But is that true for all the other cases, too? They're all just "faking" foreign accents? That must be really ridiculous sounding -- and maybe they should call that Madonna Syndrome instead.

Williams Syndrome is a genetic condition

The gene involved in Williams Syndrome seems to have two completely different functions: one involving the brain, and the other involving the elasticity of the skin. As a result, Williams Syndrome people all have a similar appearance, notably with a pixie-like nose. Basically, they look like they’re from the same family.

Oliver Sacks did a TV episode at a camp with Williams kids. They got on like a house on fire, and were very musical. But they couldn’t draw the musical instruments worth a darn.